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At such a low price, CyberPower can be forgiven for opting for an Atom-based processor for its Intel Mini PC. It’s so small, it even comes with a VESA bracket so you can mount it on the rear of most monitors, which means it’s ideal for cramped environments or if you don’t want an unsightly PC tower ruining a tidy desk.
Despite its size, the Intel Mini PC manages to pack in 802.11n WiFi, a 320GB hard disk and 4GB of RAM. The 1.8GHz Intel Atom D525 is unlike the Atom chip you’d find in a netbook: it’s a dual-core model that also supports Hyper-Threading, so it appears as four cores in Windows. Sadly, its performance isn’t that much better than a netbook’s: its overall score of 28 is poor, and you’ll notice this when running applications in Windows.
There’s an alternative, however. The Intel Mini PC also comes with Jolicloud 1.1 OS, and when you turn on the PC you can choose to boot into either Windows or Jolicloud. Jolicloud is a Linux distribution, and feels more sprightly than Windows, but it isn’t as versatile of course. You can buy the Intel Mini PC without Windows for just £270 – a saving of £80.
The downside of the Intel Mini PC’s small size, apart from the cost of miniaturisation, is the lack of room for expansion. Only the memory can be upgraded, but with 4GB already installed you’d have to remove that first. On the outside, there are only five USB ports, two of which are used by the Logitech keyboard and mouse set. One doubles as an eSATA port, so if you use that for a fast external drive, you’ll only have two spare ports to play with.
Opening up the case is – if anything – too easy. We found that when plugging a device into one of the ports, it’s easy to grab the case in the wrong way and slide the cover open. The thin plastic feels fragile, and it also gets quite hot after a while in use. Mounting the case on the rear of your monitor may be a good way of keeping it out of harm’s way as well as making it tidier.
The Intel Mini PC isn’t fast, but its size and included VESA bracket make it ideal if you lack room or want a PC hidden from sight. With Jolicloud installed, it’s also a great alternative to a Windows PC, especially if you spend most of your time online using social networking. However, if you want a PC that you can upgrade in future, this isn’t it, and compared to the OP3 Mars, it isn’t very good value.
